American Council on Exercise

Getting a good night’s sleep is a powerful recovery tool. Learn practical sleep strategies that will help your clients improve their sleep hygiene and better support their physical activity and exercise.

How to do these exercises: The American Council of Exercise recommends performing three sets for each using a reverse pyramid rep/set scheme. Start with a higher number of repetitions for the first set, then decrease by 2 to 6 reps, then decrease by another 2 to 4 reps on the last set.

McEown bring his deep expertise in finance and public accounting to help guide ACE’s strategic and financial stewardship.

Properly training the deltoids requires a variety of carefully chosen exercises. This evidence-based workout features shoulder exercises to develop strength and function.

Jolene Noel can hardly remember a time when fitness wasn’t part of her life. In first grade, a visiting instructor led a fitness demonstration and later pulled her aside to tell her how great she did. That brief moment of encouragement planted a seed—one that would shape her future in powerful ways.

The Scientific Advisory Panel provides ACE with expert insight for emerging and trending health and exercise topics.

You’ve always been a gym rat, and you have every intention of taking that into retirement. Why not consider taking your fondness for exercise into a second-act career as a fitness coach? You’ll want to spend a little to get more. If you want a sanctioned job at a fitness facility, get your certification. That could come from the American Council on Exercise.

Personalized programming is the key to smarter program design that optimizes results for each client. Learn strategies that promote proper recovery, inclusive fitness and better results.

"High price points, intimidating studio aesthetics, lack of language access, and narrow marketing imagery all quietly signal, ’This isn’t for you,’" Araceli De Leon, a content and education manager at the American Council on Exercise, tells Axios.

Collaboration aims to expand resources that empower exercise professionals to better serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This new philosophy serves as a guide to help health and exercise professionals, as well as the public, prioritize overall well-being.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) announces the ACE 7 Core Drivers of Healthy Living, a new, evidence-based philosophy designed to help health and exercise professionals more effectively support individuals in building sustainable, whole-person focused health.

The ACE 7 Core Drivers of Healthy Living is a framework to help health and fitness pros and their clients better understand those lifestyle behaviors that support overall health and well-being. Read on for practical strategies and resources.

"Stretching is arguably one of the most misunderstood aspects of exercise," says Cedric X. Bryant, a physiologist and chief executive officer at the American Council on Exercise. "Myths persist because so many people are stuck in the past with old gym science that gets passed down."

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been named the exclusive beginner-level certification partner for Inspire360 Club, providing foundational education for entry-level trainers. Additional partners include TRX, Exos, Eleiko, Certified Functional Strength Coach (Mike Boyle), Oxygen Advantage, Gray Institute, ProNatal, Human Motion Associates, Jim LaValle and the Mental Wellbeing Association, among others.

The American Council of Exercise recently announced a new Sleep & Recovery Coach Course with sleep educator Nick Lambe, designed for personal trainers and fitness pros who want to add sleep and recovery science to their offerings.

Inspire360, the education technology that powers the world’s top fitness companies and health clubs, and the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the leading nonprofit education and certification organization in the fitness industry, announced today a strategic partnership. Inspire360 has selected ACE as the exclusive beginner-level qualification and certification partner of Inspire360 Club, the new club education platform recently launched by Inspire360.

Inspire360 has selected ACE as the exclusive beginner-level qualification and certification partner of Inspire360 Club, the new club education platform recently launched by Inspire360.

Performing a variety of movements may be the secret to building stronger glutes. This evidence-based workout features glute exercises to develop both strength and function.

Maintaining cardiovascular fitness also has a “profound effect” on independence and quality of life — without it, “activities of daily living can become more of a burden,” adds Anthony Wall, senior director of global business development and professional education at the American Council on Exercise. People may also stay at home more often and avoid socializing. “This leads to greater feelings of isolation and increased likelihood of depression,” he says.

Cameil Ross, a group fitness instructor certified by the American Council on Exercise, said that “[a]dding a weighted vest to your workout routine [increases] the resistance and cardiovascular output, which may result in higher caloric burn. It forces your muscles to work harder, which can build muscular strength as well.”

Midlife clients often insist they’re doing “everything right,” yet workouts may start to feel harder to recover from and progress becomes less predictable. A new study of highly trained endurance athletes offers a useful window into what may be driving that experience—and why it’s not simply a motivation issue.

A 10-minute, all-out workout doesn’t just raise the heart rate—it changes what’s circulating in the bloodstream in ways that may influence how cancer cells behave. This article examines new research on the anti-cancer benefits of exercise, and shows you how to translate it into practical, evidence-based coaching conversations that resonate with clients.

New Year’s fitness resolutions often mean crowded gyms and eager clients. Take advantage of peak motivation levels to set clients up for long-term success and sustainable fitness habits.

Overall eating patterns mean more than individual foods or nutrients in isolation. Read on for an evidence-based exploration of how good nutrition supports a healthy and active lifestyle.

Sleep is at the cornerstone of health and wellness, ensuring better cognitive and physical performance, recovery, immune health and longevity, which is why the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has developed the Sleep & Recovery Coach Course in collaboration with Nick Lambe, known as “the online sleep coach.”

The misconception that muscle can be lean or bulky lies in its appearance. “When people (say ‘lean’), they’re usually describing a look — muscle that appears more defined because there is less body fat covering it,” Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., chief executive officer at the American Council on Exercise, tells TODAY.com.

If you’re on the hunt for an effective tool to help you achieve your fitness goals, it could be just a click away on your smartphone. A wide range of workout and fitness apps make it simple to work up a sweat, build strength and stay motivated in any place at any time.

At its core, successful weight loss requires a calorie deficit, which can be achieved in one of three ways: reducing calorie intake, increasing calorie expenditure via exercise, or a combination of both. Here's a cheat-sheet of the best calorie-burning exercises to help you optimize your time and effort, according to the American Council on Exercise. (FYI: the range of calories burned used for this list is estimated for a 125- to 185-pound person.)

Cross-training is an exercise regimen that uses several types of training to improve overall health and fitness, as defined by The American Council on Exercise.

Fitness trends explored in this blog include AI, healthspan and longevity, obesity medications, menopause, and more. Learn from ACE experts about how these trends will shape the industry in 2026 and beyond.

"Starting slow and working your way up is better than overdoing it and giving up," Chris Gagliardi, a certified personal trainer at the American Council on Exercise, previously told Men's Health. An easy way to approach it: Commit to going for a quick, 10-minute walk after dinner, and slowly increase the time as you become more comfortable with daily movement.

Your alarm rings 10 days before New Year’s. Instagram feeds flood with transformation promises. You want visible abs but don’t know where to start. The American Council on Exercise studied 13 ab exercises and ranked them by muscle activation. Bicycle crunches topped the list, engaging obliques and deep core more effectively than standard crunches. These 7 exercises target all three abdominal layers in under 10 minutes daily.

Navigating the holiday season can be a challenge when you’re trying to stay active, eat right and make healthy choices. Consider these 7 simple strategies, from adjusting your mindset to taking care of yourself.

For recreational runners, an injury can be the single biggest disruptor of momentum, healthy habits and confidence. A new study out of the Netherlands puts a sharper point on something many health and exercise professionals already suspect: Sleep isn’t just “nice to have” recovery. It may be part of the injury-risk picture, especially when sleep is consistently short, low quality and disrupted.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and Nick Lambe, The Online Sleep Coach, have announced the launch of the Sleep & Recovery Coach Course, a new educational program designed to equip health and exercise professionals improve client outcomes by integrating sleep and recovery science into their coaching practices. 

"When you exercise, you release hormones like adrenaline," Sabrena Jo, a senior director of science and research at the American Council on Exercise (ACE), told Health. "This hormone actually tells our bodies to ignore feelings of pain and fatigue while enhancing blood flow to large muscles."

Discover the most effective approach to training the biceps. This evidence-based workout features exercises to improve biceps strength and function.

Other studies have shown that skipping is effective for weight loss. Plus, in a report for the American Council on Exercise about the benefits of the activity, fitness expert Pete McCall argues that regularly jumping rope increases the capacity and resilience of lower-leg muscles, significantly strengthening the calves and improving the elasticity of the surrounding tendons and fascia. For runners, this means a reduced risk of experiencing lower-leg injuries.

Recognizing what trauma looks like in a fitness setting and creating safe and supportive movement experiences can help you foster deeper connections with your clients. Learn strategies to promote safety, autonomy and empowerment.